U.S. patent application number 17/125785 was filed with the patent office on 2022-06-23 for optical coherence tomography probe.
This patent application is currently assigned to INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. The applicant listed for this patent is INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE. Invention is credited to Chi Shen CHANG, Kai-Hsiang CHEN, De Yi CHIOU.
Application Number | 20220192750 17/125785 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-06-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220192750 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHIOU; De Yi ; et
al. |
June 23, 2022 |
OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY PROBE
Abstract
An OCT scanning probe includes a tubular housing, at least one
electrode, an optical fiber scanner and an auxiliary localization
component. The electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the
tubular housing. The optical fiber scanner is disposed in the
tubular housing and includes an optical fiber and an optical
element. The optical element is disposed on an emitting end of the
optical fiber and at corresponding position to a light
transmittable portion of the tubular housing. The auxiliary
localization component is disposed on the tubular housing, and
overlaps part of the light transmittable portion. A light beam
emitted from the optical fiber scanner passes through the light
transmittable portion to obtain a tomographic image. An interaction
of the light beam with the auxiliary localization component causes
a characteristic in the tomographic image, with the characteristic
corresponding to the auxiliary localization component.
Inventors: |
CHIOU; De Yi; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; CHEN; Kai-Hsiang; (Hsinchu City, TW)
; CHANG; Chi Shen; (Zhubei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE |
Hsinchu |
|
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
INSTITUTE
Hsinchu
TW
|
Appl. No.: |
17/125785 |
Filed: |
December 17, 2020 |
International
Class: |
A61B 34/20 20060101
A61B034/20; G02B 26/10 20060101 G02B026/10; G02B 27/10 20060101
G02B027/10; A61B 5/00 20060101 A61B005/00; A61N 1/05 20060101
A61N001/05 |
Claims
1. An optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning probe,
comprising: a tubular housing; at least one electrode disposed on
an outer surface of the tubular housing; an optical fiber scanner
disposed in the tubular housing, wherein the optical fiber scanner
comprising an optical fiber and an optical element, the optical
element is disposed on an emitting end of the optical fiber, and
the optical element is at corresponding position to a light
transmittable portion of the tubular housing; and an auxiliary
localization component disposed on the tubular housing, and the
auxiliary localization component overlaps part of the light
transmittable portion; wherein a light beam emitted from the
optical fiber scanner passes through the light transmittable
portion to obtain a tomographic image, and an interaction of part
of the light beam with the auxiliary localization component causes
a characteristic in the tomographic image, with the characteristic
corresponding to the auxiliary localization component.
2. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the
characteristic is a dark zone in the tomographic image, and the
interaction of the light beam with the auxiliary localization
component is that the auxiliary localization component blocks the
light beam.
3. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the
characteristic is a bright zone in the tomographic image, and the
interaction of the light beam with the auxiliary localization
component is that the auxiliary localization component reflects the
light beam.
4. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the optical
fiber scanner further comprises a base, the optical fiber is
disposed on the base, the base is rotatably disposed in the tubular
housing and brings the optical fiber to rotate together.
5. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the optical
fiber scanner further comprises a base, the optical fiber is
disposed in the base and rotatable relative to the base.
6. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the
auxiliary localization component is a conductive line electrically
connected with the at least one electrode.
7. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the at
least one electrode comprises an electrode ring disposed on the
outer surface of the tubular housing.
8. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the at
least one electrode is disposed on a hemispherical closed end of
the tubular housing, and the at least one electrode is a tip
extending outward from the outer surface of the tubular
housing.
9. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, further comprising
an indicating component disposed on the outer surface of the
tubular housing, wherein the indicating component has a mark at a
direction corresponding to the auxiliary localization
component.
10. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein a size of
the auxiliary localization component is larger than or equal to an
optical resolution of the optical fiber scanner.
11. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the light
transmittable portion is located on a side wall of the tubular
housing, the auxiliary localization component is located in the
side wall of the tubular housing, and the optical element is a
reflector.
12. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 11, wherein the
tubular housing has a tapered end, and the at least one electrode
is disposed on the tapered end.
13. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the light
transmittable portion is located on a closed end of the tubular
housing, and the optical element is a focusing lens.
14. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the
tubular housing comprises a first light transmittable portion and a
second light transmittable portion, the first light transmittable
portion is located on a side wall of the tubular housing, the
second light transmittable portion is located on a closed end of
the tubular housing, the optical element is a beam splitter, and
the beam splitter corresponds to the first light transmittable
portion and the second light transmittable portion.
15. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 14, wherein the
auxiliary localization component comprises a first localization
member and a second localization member, the first localization
member overlaps the first light transmittable portion, the second
localization member overlaps the second light transmittable
portion, the optical element splits the light beam emitted from the
optical fiber scanner into a first sub-beam and a second sub-beam,
the first sub-beam passes through the first light transmittable
portion to obtain a first tomographic image, and an interaction of
part of the first sub-beam with the first localization member
causes a first characteristic in the first tomographic image, with
the first characteristic corresponding to the first localization
member, the second sub-beam passes through the second light
transmittable portion to obtain a second tomographic image, and an
interaction of part of the second sub-beam with the second
localization member causes a second characteristic in the second
tomographic image, with the second characteristic corresponding to
the second localization member.
16. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the
optical fiber scanner is detachably disposed in the tubular
housing.
17. The OCT scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the at
least one electrode has a substantially same size as human neuron.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0001] This present disclosure relates to an optical coherence
tomography (OCT) scanning probe.
2. Related Art
[0002] With the development of medical technology, the treatment of
Parkinson's disease has evolved from the administration of levodopa
at the beginning of course to the regulation of brain activities by
surgery at the middle or late stage of course to compensate for the
limitations and side effects of medication. At present, deep brain
stimulation (DBS) is a primary surgery for Parkinson's disease. DBS
involves the implantation of a thin lead with electrode in specific
target such as subthalamic nucleus (STN) or internal globus
pallidus, and the placement of a medical device which sends
electrical current to effect the physiology of brain cells and
neurotransmitters, such that dyskinesia can be well controlled and
movement of patient's limbs can be improved.
[0003] DBS generally includes the following procedures: (1) DBS
target localization procedure; and (2) DBS electrode implantation
procedure. During the DBS target localization procedure, a magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) of patient's head is firstly performed for
surgical path planning; then, a microelectrode recording (MER)
probe is inserted into patient's head along the predetermined
surgical path for detecting physiological signals of brain cells to
determine the location of surgical target. During the DBS electrode
implantation procedure, a permanent DBS lead is implanted according
the location of surgical target.
[0004] The conventional DBS suffers some problems related to
inaccurate localization in the target localization procedure.
Although MRI and MER help to confirm the location of surgical
target. It is difficult for surgeons to identify surgical target
(STN or internal globus pallidus) from MRI images due to small size
of the surgical target. Also, inevitable brain shift caused by
cerebrospinal fluid leakage and intracranial pressure may change
the location of surgical target. Moreover, MER merely provides one
dimensional spatial information (for example, information along an
insertion direction of the microelectrode). The lack of three
dimensional spatial information results in a problem that the
surgeon cannot check a position of the electrode with respect to
the surgical target and whether the electrode tip is at expected
lactation, even though the electrode tip can be traced according to
the electrophysiological recording of brain cells, and thus the
surgeon lacks sufficient information as reference for subsequent
adjustment of surgical path.
SUMMARY
[0005] In view of the above problems, it is necessary to improve
the brain positioning method of DBS. The present disclosure
provides an optical coherent tomography probe suitable for DBS,
which helps to solve the problem that the target cannot be
accurately positioned before the surgery or the electrode position
cannot be accurately located during the surgery.
[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an OCT
scanning probe includes a tubular housing, at least one electrode,
an optical fiber scanner and an auxiliary localization component.
The electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the tubular
housing. The optical fiber scanner is disposed in the tubular
housing. The optical fiber scanner includes an optical fiber and an
optical element. The optical element is disposed on an emitting end
of the optical fiber, and the optical element is at corresponding
position to a light transmittable portion of the tubular housing.
The auxiliary localization component is disposed on the tubular
housing, and the auxiliary localization component overlaps part of
the light transmittable portion. A light beam emitted from the
optical fiber scanner passes through the light transmittable
portion to obtain a tomographic image. An interaction of part of
the light beam with the auxiliary localization component causes a
characteristic in the tomographic image, with the characteristic
corresponding to the auxiliary localization component.
[0007] The above description based on the content of the disclosure
and description of the following exemplary embodiment and the
embodiment to explain the principles and spirit of the present
disclosure, and the scope of the patent application to provide
further explanation of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe
according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing location of a surgery
target identifying by the OCT scanning probe in FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing implantation of an
electrode by the OCT scanning probe in FIG. 1; and
[0017] FIG. 10 is a tomographic image obtained by the OCT scanning
probe in FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] In the following detailed description, for purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It
will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be
practiced without these specific details. In other instances,
well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order
to simplify the drawings.
[0019] According to the present disclosure, an auxiliary
localization component overlaps a light transmittable portion of a
tubular housing, such that a light beam emitted from an optical
fiber scanner is blocked or reflected by the auxiliary localization
component when passing through the light transmittable portion,
thereby causing a characteristic (dark zone or bright zone) in a
tomographic image. The location of the OCT scanning probe with
respect to a surgical target can be determined according to the
characteristic. Thus, the OCT scanning probe helps to position the
target or determine whether the electrode is at the central region
of the target. Once there is an offset between the electrode and
the central region of the target, a surgeon can adjust a DBS lead
implantation path according to the tomographic image, which is
helpful to improve the therapeutic effect of DBS.
[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an
OCT scanning probe includes tubular housing, electrode, optical
fiber scanner and auxiliary localization component. Please refer to
FIG. 1 which is a schematic view of an OCT scanning probe according
to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. In this
embodiment, the OCT scanning probe 1a includes a tubular housing
10, an electrode 20, an optical fiber scanner 30 and an auxiliary
localization component 40.
[0021] The tubular housing 10, for example, is a glass tube
including a light transmittable portion 110 and an opaque portion
120, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto; in some
embodiments, the tubular housing 10 may be made of light
transmittable material such as glass, such that every portion of
the tubular housing 10 is light transmittable. In this embodiment,
the light transmittable portion 110 is located on a side wall of
the tubular housing 10, but the present disclosure is not limited
to specific location of the light transmittable portion 110.
[0022] The electrode 20, for example, is an electrode ring disposed
on an outer surface of the tubular housing 10. The tubular housing
10 and the electrode 20 jointly constitute a DBS electrode. The
electrode 20 can be electrically connected with external power
supply (not shown in the drawings) for activating tissues, such as
brain tissue, outside the OCT scanning probe 1a. In FIG. 1, there
are multiple electrodes 20 on the tubular housing 10, but the
present disclosure is not limited to the number of electrode 20; in
some embodiments, single electrode 20 may be provided for
measurement. The electrode 20 can be turned on to activate brain
tissues or measure electrophysiological recordings of brain
cells.
[0023] The optical fiber scanner 30 is disposed in the tubular
housing 10, and the optical fiber scanner 30 includes a base 310,
an optical fiber 320 and an optical element 330a. The optical fiber
320 is disposed on the base 310, and the optical element 330a is at
corresponding position to the light transmittable portion 110 of
the tubular housing 10. In one embodiment, the base 310 is
rotatably disposed in the tubular housing 10. Thus, the base 310
brings the optical fiber 320 to together rotate about a central
axis of the base 310 with respect to the tubular housing 10; in
some embodiments, the optical fiber 320 rotatably disposed in the
base 310, and the optical fiber 320 can be used for scanning due to
its rotation with respect to the base 310. In this embodiment, the
optical fiber 320 further includes an emitting end 321 of the
optical fiber 320, and the optical element 330a is disposed on the
emitting end 321. Since the light transmittable portion 110 is
located on the side wall of the tubular housing 10, the optical
element 330a in this embodiment may be a reflector for changing a
traveling direction of light beam emitted from the optical fiber
320. Said light beam from the optical fiber 320 can be reflected by
the optical element 330a, and then travels through the light
transmittable portion 110 to the outside of the OCT scanning probe
1a. Therefore, the light beam reaches tissues outside the OCT
scanning probe 1a, and the light beam is reflected by the tissues
so as to be received by image sensor (not shown in the drawings)
connected to the end of the optical fiber 320, and thus the image
sensor generates one or more tomographic images. The present
disclosure is not limited to the reflector working with the optical
element 330a in this embodiment; in some embodiments, suitable
optical component can be selected as the optical element 330a
according to the location of the light transmittable portion, and
the present disclosure is not limited to example(s) mentioned
above.
[0024] Moreover, in this embodiment, the optical fiber scanner 30
is detachably sleeved in the tubular housing 10 so as to be
removable from the tubular housing 10, and the optical fiber
scanner 30 is movable along the central axis of the tubular housing
10, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto; in some
embodiments, the optical fiber scanner 30 may be fixed inside the
tubular housing 10.
[0025] In this embodiment and some other embodiments, said "light
transmittable portion" of the tubular housing refers to a portion
which is transmittable to the light beam emitted from the optical
fiber. For example, as the light beam emitted from the optical
fiber is visible light, the light transmittable portion is
transmittable to light having visible wavelengths; as the light
beam emitted from the optical fiber is infrared light, the light
transmittable portion is transmittable to light having infrared
wavelengths.
[0026] The auxiliary localization component 40 is disposed on the
tubular housing 10, and the auxiliary localization component 40
overlaps part of the light transmittable portion 110. In this
embodiment, the auxiliary localization component 40, for example,
is a conductive line inside the side wall of the tubular housing
10, and the conductive line is electrically connected with the
electrodes 20. The auxiliary localization component 40 can be
electrically connected with external power supply (now shown in the
drawings) to deliver electricity to the electrode 20, thereby
activating tissues outside the OCT scanning probe 1a. The present
disclosure is not limited to the electrical connection between the
auxiliary localization component 40 and the electrode 20. In some
embodiments, the auxiliary localization component 40 is
nonconductive and insulated from the electrode 20, with additional
conductive line provided to be electrically connected with the
electrode 20.
[0027] When the light beam emitted from the optical fiber 320
passes through the light transmittable portion 110 of the tubular
housing 10, since the auxiliary localization component 40 overlaps
part of the light transmittable portion 110, some amount of light
in the light beam interacts with the auxiliary localization
component 40, thereby causing a characteristic in the
aforementioned tomographic image, with the characteristic
corresponding to the auxiliary localization component 40. Details
about the interaction of auxiliary localization component and the
characteristic in tomographic image will be described
hereafter.
[0028] In this embodiment, the OCT scanning probe 1a further
includes an indicating component 50 disposed on the outer surface
of the tubular housing 10, and the indicating component 50 has a
mark 510 at a direction corresponding to the auxiliary localization
component 40. In detail, the indicating component 50 may be an
annular block mounted on the outer surface of the tubular housing
10, and the mark 510 may be protrusion, recess, letter symbol,
pattern or combination thereof. In an axial direction of the
tubular housing 10, the auxiliary localization component 40 and the
mark 510 are aligned, such that the orientation of the auxiliary
localization component 40 can be determined by viewing the mark
510.
[0029] The present disclosure is not limited to the OCT scanning
probe shown in FIG. 1. Please refer to FIG. 2 showing a schematic
view of an OCT scanning probe according to a second embodiment of
the present disclosure. In this embodiment, an OCT scanning probe
1b includes a tubular housing 10b, a plurality of electrodes 20, an
optical fiber scanner 30b, an auxiliary localization component 40b
and an indicating component 50. Regarding the electrode 20 and the
indicating component 50 in FIG. 2, any detail can be referred to
the foregoing description of corresponding component in FIG. 1, and
any detail description about the electrode 20 and the indicating
component 50 will be omitted hereafter.
[0030] The tubular housing 10b includes a light transmittable
portion 110b and an opaque portion 120. In this embodiment, the
light transmittable portion 110b of the tubular housing 100b is
located on a closed end of the tubular housing 100b. The size of
the light transmittable portion 110b depends on specifications of
the optical fiber for scanning, and the present disclosure is not
limited to the light transmittable portion 110b in the drawings.
According to the location of the light transmittable portion 110b,
the optical element 330b of the optical fiber scanner 30b may be a
focusing lens configured to converge light beam emitted from the
optical fiber 320, and the converged light beam reaches outside of
the OCT scanning probe 1b through the light transmittable portion
110b. The auxiliary localization component 40b is disposed on the
tubular housing 10b, and the auxiliary localization component 40b
overlaps part of the light transmittable portion 110b. In one
embodiment, auxiliary localization component 40b, for example, is a
conductive line electrically connected with the electrodes 20, and
extends to the closed end of the tubular housing 100b, thereby
covering part of the light transmittable portion 110b. In other
embodiments, the auxiliary localization component 40b may be a
nonconductive line mark, and it covers part of the light
transmittable portion 110b.
[0031] Please refer to FIG. 3 showing a schematic view of an OCT
scanning probe according to a third embodiment of the present
disclosure. In this embodiment, an OCT scanning probe 1c includes a
tubular housing 10c, an electrode 20, an optical fiber scanner 30c
and an auxiliary localization component 40c. Regarding the
electrode 20 in FIG. 3, any detail can be referred to the foregoing
description of corresponding component in FIG. 1, and any detail
description about the electrode 20 will be omitted hereafter. For
the purpose of illustration, an indicating component located on the
outer surface of the tubular housing is omitted in FIG. 3.
[0032] The tubular housing 10c includes a first light transmittable
portion 110c and a second light transmittable portion 110c'. The
first light transmittable portion 110c is located on the side wall
of the tubular housing 10c, and the second light transmittable
portion 110c' is located on a closed end of the tubular housing
10c. With the first light transmittable portion 110c and the second
light transmittable portion 110c' designated to be light
transmittable, the rest of the tubular housing 10 may be light
transmittable or opaque.
[0033] The optical fiber scanner 30c includes a base 310, an
optical fiber 320 and an optical element 330c. The base 310 is
rotatably disposed in the tubular housing 10c, and the optical
fiber 320 is disposed on the base 310. The optical element 330c is
disposed on the emitting end 321 of the optical fiber 320. To work
with a configuration that the first light transmittable portion
110c and the second light transmittable portion 110c' are
respectively at the side wall and the closed end of the tubular
housing 10c, the optical element 330c may be a beam splitter in
this embodiment. The optical element 330c corresponds to the first
light transmittable portion 110c and the second light transmittable
portion 110c'. The optical element 330c is configured to split the
light beam emitted from the optical fiber 320 into a first sub-beam
traveling toward the first light transmittable portion 110c and a
second sub-beam traveling toward the second light transmittable
portion 110c'. The two sub-beams pass through the first light
transmittable portion 110c and the second light transmittable
portion 110c', respectively, to reach outside of the OCT scanning
probe 1c. The two sub-beams can illuminate different regions of a
tissue outside the OCT scanning probe 1c, and an image sensor (not
shown in the drawings) can receive the first and second sub-beams
to obtain one or more tomographic images
[0034] The auxiliary localization component 40c is disposed on the
tubular housing 10c, and includes a first localization member 410c
and a second localization member 420c. The first localization
member 410c overlaps part of the first light transmittable portion
110c, and second localization member 420c overlaps part of the
second light transmittable portion 110c'. In this embodiment, the
first localization member 410c, for example, is a conductive line
disposed in the side wall of the tubular housing 10c and
electrically connected with the electrode 20. The first
localization member 410c may be electrically connected with
external power supply (not shown in the drawings) for supplying
electricity to the electrode 20. The second localization member
420c is disposed on the closed end of the tubular housing 10c and
electrically connected with the electrode 20. In some embodiments,
each of the first localization member 410c and the second
localization member 420c of the auxiliary localization component
40c may be a nonconductive line mark covering part of the first
light transmittable portion 110c and part of the second light
transmittable portion 110c', respectively.
[0035] When the light beam emitted from the optical fiber 320
passes through the first light transmittable portion 110c and the
second light transmittable portion 110c', since the first
localization member 410c overlaps part of the first light
transmittable portion 110c and the second light transmittable
portion 110c' overlaps part of the second localization member 420c,
some amount of light in the light beam interacts with the auxiliary
localization component 40c, thereby causing characteristics in a
tomographic image, with one characteristic corresponding to the
first localization member 410c and another characteristic
corresponding to the second localization member 420c.
[0036] Please refer to FIG. 4 showing a schematic view of an OCT
scanning probe according to a fourth embodiment of the present
disclosure. In this embodiment, an OCT scanning probe 1d includes a
tubular housing 10c, a plurality of electrodes 20d, an optical
fiber scanner 30c and an auxiliary localization component 40d.
Regarding the tubular housing 10c and the optical fiber scanner 30c
in FIG. 4, any detail can be referred to the foregoing description
of corresponding component in FIG. 3, and any detail description
about the tubular housing 10c and the optical fiber scanner 30c
will be omitted hereafter. For the purpose of illustration, an
indicating component located on the outer surface of the tubular
housing is omitted in FIG. 4.
[0037] Each of the electrodes 20d, for example, is an annular
electrode ring disposed on the outer surface of the tubular housing
10c. The auxiliary localization component 40d includes a plurality
of localization members which are at different positions of the
tubular housing 10c. In detail, the auxiliary localization
component 40d includes a plurality of first localization members
410d and a second localization member 420d. FIG. 4 exemplarily
shows one of the first localization members 410d.
[0038] The first localization member 410d overlaps part of the
first light transmittable portion 110c of the tubular housing 10c,
and the second localization member 420d overlaps part of the second
light transmittable portion 110c'. In this embodiment, each of the
first localization members 410d, for example, is a conductive line
disposed in the side wall of the tubular housing 10c and
electrically connected with respective electrode 20d. The first
localization member 410d can be electrically connected with
external power supply (now shown in the drawings) to deliver
electricity to the electrode 20d. The second localization member
420d is disposed on the closed end of the tubular housing 10c and
electrically connected with the electrode 20d. It is noted that
although there are multiple conductive lines electrically connected
with the electrodes 20d, respectively, not every conductive line
can be taken as the first localization member 410d or the second
localization member 420d of the auxiliary localization component
40d. As to a conductive line which can be taken as a member of the
auxiliary localization component 40d, it should at least cover part
of the first light transmittable portion 110c and part of the
second light transmittable portion 110c'. In some embodiments, both
the first localization member 410d and the second localization
member 420d of the auxiliary localization component 40d may be
nonconductive line marks or printed patterns which cover part of
the first light transmittable portion 110c and part of the second
light transmittable portion 110c'.
[0039] Please refer to FIG. 5 showing a schematic view of an OCT
scanning probe according to a fifth embodiment of the present
disclosure. In this embodiment, an OCT scanning probe 1e includes a
tubular housing 10e, an electrode 20e, an optical fiber scanner 30
and an auxiliary localization component 40e. Regarding the optical
fiber scanner 30 in FIG. 5, any detail can be referred to the
foregoing description of corresponding component in FIG. 1, and any
detail description about the optical fiber scanner 30 will be
omitted hereafter. For the purpose of illustration, an indicating
component located on the outer surface of the tubular housing is
omitted in FIG. 5.
[0040] The tubular housing 10e, for example, is a transparent glass
tube includes a light transmittable portion 110 on its side wall.
Furthermore, the tubular housing 10e further includes a tapered end
130. The electrode 20e is disposed on the tapered end 130 of the
tubular housing 10e, and the electrode 20e is located on the outer
surface of the tubular housing 10e. In one embodiment, the tubular
housing 10e and the electrode 20e can jointly work as a probe for
measuring electrophysiological recordings of brain cells, and the
electrode 20e substantially has the same size as human neuron.
[0041] The auxiliary localization component 40e is disposed on the
tubular housing 10e, and the auxiliary localization component 40
overlaps part of the light transmittable portion 110. In this
embodiment, the auxiliary localization component 40e, for example,
is a conductive line disposed in the side wall of the tubular
housing 10e and electrically connected with the electrode 20e. The
auxiliary localization component 40e can be electrically connected
with external power supply (now shown in the drawings) to deliver
electricity to the electrode 20e.
[0042] Please refer to FIG. 6 showing a schematic view of an OCT
scanning probe according to a sixth embodiment of the present
disclosure. In this embodiment, an OCT scanning probe if includes a
tubular housing 10e, a plurality of electrodes 20f, an optical
fiber scanner 30 and an auxiliary localization component 40f.
Regarding the tubular housing 10e and the optical fiber scanner 30
in FIG. 6, any detail can be referred to the foregoing description
of corresponding component in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, and any detail
description about the tubular housing 10e and the optical fiber
scanner 30 will be omitted hereafter. For the purpose of
illustration, an indicating component located on the outer surface
of the tubular housing is omitted in FIG. 6.
[0043] The electrode 20f includes a first electrode 210f and a
second electrode 220f The first electrode 210f, for example, is an
annular electrode ring disposed on the outer surface of the tubular
housing 10e. The second electrode 220f is disposed on a tapered end
130 of the tubular housing 10e, and the second electrode 220f is
disposed on disposed on the outer surface of the tubular housing
10e. The auxiliary localization component 40f is disposed on the
tubular housing 10e, and the auxiliary localization component 40f
includes a first localization member 410f and a second localization
member 420f. The first localization member 410f and the second
localization member 420f overlap parts of a light transmittable
portion 110 of the tubular housing 10e. The first localization
member 410f is disposed in the side wall of the tubular housing 10e
and electrically connected with the first electrode 210f. The
second localization member 420f is disposed in the side wall of the
tubular housing 10e and electrically connected with the second
electrode 220f. The first localization member 410f and the second
localization member 420f can deliver electricity to the first
electrode 210f and the second electrode 220f, respectively. In one
embodiment, both the first localization member 410f and the second
localization member 420f enclose an angle of 180 degrees with
respect to an axis of the tubular housing 10e; in another
embodiment, both the first localization member 410f and the second
localization member 420f enclose an angle of 90 degrees with
respect to the axis of the tubular housing 10e. The present
disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned angle value between
the localization member and the axis of the tubular housing.
[0044] Please refer to FIG. 7 showing a schematic view of an OCT
scanning probe according to a seventh embodiment of the present
disclosure. An OCT scanning probe 1g includes a tubular housing
10c, a plurality of electrodes 20g, an optical fiber scanner 30c
and an auxiliary localization component 40g. Regarding the tubular
housing 10c and the optical fiber scanner 30c in FIG. 7, any detail
can be referred to the foregoing description of corresponding
component in FIG. 4, and any detail description about the tubular
housing 10c and the optical fiber scanner 30c will be omitted
hereafter. For the purpose of illustration, an indicating component
located on the outer surface of the tubular housing is omitted in
FIG. 7.
[0045] The electrodes 20g includes a plurality of first electrodes
210g and a second electrode 220g. Each of the first electrodes
210g, for example, is an electrode ring disposed on the outer
surface of the tubular housing 10c. The first electrode 210g is
identical to the electrode 20d in FIG. 4, and will not go into
details hereafter. The second electrode 220g is disposed on a
hemispherical closed end of the tubular housing 10c, and the second
electrode 220g is located on the outer surface of the tubular
housing 10c. In this embodiment, the second electrode 220g is a tip
of the electrodes 20g extending outward from the outer surface of
the tubular housing 10c, and the tip substantially has the same
size as human neuron.
[0046] The auxiliary localization component 40g includes a
plurality of first localization member 410g and a second
localization member 420g. The first localization members 410g
overlap part of the tubular housing 10c, and the second
localization member 420g overlaps part of the tubular housing 10c.
The first localization members 410g are disposed in the side wall
of the tubular housing 10c, and the first localization members 410g
are electrically connected with the first electrodes 210g,
respectively. FIG. 7 exemplarily shows one of the first
localization members 410g. The second localization member 420g is
disposed in the side wall of the tubular housing 10c, and the
second localization member 420g is electrically connected with the
second electrode 220g. In one embodiment, both the first
localization member 410g and the second localization member 420g
enclose an angle of 180 degrees with respect to an axis of the
tubular housing 10c; in another embodiment, both the first
localization member 410g and the second localization member 420g
enclose an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the axis of the
tubular housing 10c. The present disclosure is not limited to the
aforementioned angle value between the localization member and the
axis of the tubular housing.
[0047] It is noted that although there are multiple conductive
lines electrically connected with the electrodes 20g, respectively,
not every conductive line can be taken as the auxiliary
localization component 40g. As to a conductive line which can be
taken as a member of the auxiliary localization component 40g, it
should at least cover part of the first light transmittable portion
110c and part of the second light transmittable portion 110c'. In
some embodiments, both the first localization member 410g and the
second localization member 420g of the auxiliary localization
component 40g may be nonconductive line marks or printed patterns
which cover part of the first light transmittable portion 110c and
part of the second light transmittable portion 110c'.
[0048] The following description is related to application of the
OCT scanning probe in DBS. According to the present disclosure, the
OCT scanning probe is applicable for identifying a surgical target
in DBS target localization procedure. Please refer to FIG. 3 and
FIG. 8, and FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing location of a
surgery target identifying by the OCT scanning probe in FIG. 3. In
FIG. 8, a target O may be a human STN.
[0049] The OCT scanning probe 1c is inserted into human brain, and
electricity is supplied to the electrode 20 for measuring
electrophysiological recordings. The optical fiber scanner 30c
rotates, and the optical element 330c splits the light beam emitted
from the optical fiber 320 into a first sub-beam L1 and a second
sub-beam L2. The first sub-beam L1 passes through the first light
transmittable portion 110c of the tubular housing 10c to obtain a
first tomographic image. Since the first localization member 410c
of the auxiliary localization component 40c has a larger size than
or equal size to an optical resolution of the optical fiber 320 of
the optical fiber scanner 30c, some amount of light in the first
sub-beam L1 interacts with the first localization member 410c,
thereby causing a first characteristic in the first tomographic
image, with the first characteristic corresponding to the first
localization member 410c. Similarly, the second sub-beam L2 passes
through the second light transmittable portion 110c' of the tubular
housing 10c to obtain a second tomographic image. Since the second
localization member 420c of the auxiliary localization component
40c also has a larger size than or equal size to the optical
resolution of the optical fiber 320, some amount of light in the
second sub-beam L2 interacts with the second localization member
420c, thereby causing a second characteristic in the second
tomographic image, with the second characteristic corresponding to
the second localization member 420c. According to the
electrophysiological recordings measured by the electrode 20 and
the aforementioned tomographic images, a specific location of the
OCT scanning probe 1c with respect to the target O (for example, at
the middle, right side or left side of the human STN) can be
accurately determined.
[0050] The following description is related to application of the
OCT scanning probe in DBS electrode implantation procedure, and the
present disclosure helps the implantation of DBS electrode at
correct region. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, and FIG. 9 is a
schematic view showing implantation of an electrode by the OCT
scanning probe in FIG. 1
[0051] The OCT scanning probe 1a is inserted into human brain, and
the optical fiber scanner 30 rotates with a light beam emitted from
the optical fiber 320 (referring to FIG. 9). When the light beam
passes through the light transmittable portion 110 of the tubular
housing 10, since the auxiliary localization component 40 has a
larger size than or equal size to the optical resolution of the
optical fiber 320 of the optical fiber scanner 30, the light beam,
which has interacted with the auxiliary localization component 40,
generates a tomographic image, and the tomographic image contains a
characteristic corresponding to the auxiliary localization
component 40. According to the tomographic image mentioned above,
the specific location of the OCT scanning probe 1a with respect to
the target O can be accurately determined. Thus, it can be deduced
that whether the electrode 20 of the OCT scanning probe 1a is at
the central region of the target O. Once it is determined that the
electrode 20 is at correct region, the optical fiber scanner 30 can
be removed from the tubular housing 10. The residual elements in
human brain, such as the tubular housing 10 and the electrode 20,
work as a permanent DBS lead which can be turned on to effect the
physiology of brain cells and neurotransmitters.
[0052] The aforementioned characteristic in the tomographic image
varies with the properties of the auxiliary localization component.
In one embodiment, the auxiliary localization component is made of
opaque material, and some amount of light is blocked by the
auxiliary localization component when the light beam passes through
the light transmittable portion, and thus a dark zone corresponding
to the auxiliary localization component is formed in the
tomographic image. In another embodiment, the auxiliary
localization component is made of metal material or includes metal
coating, and some amount of light is reflected by the auxiliary
localization component when the light beam passes through the light
transmittable portion, and thus a bright zone corresponding to the
auxiliary localization component is formed in the tomographic
image. "The light beam interacts with the auxiliary localization
component" or "the interaction of the light beam with the auxiliary
localization component" means that the auxiliary localization
component blocks light to cause dark zone, or the auxiliary
localization component reflects light to cause bright zone.
[0053] The following description is related to determining the
location of the OCT scanning probe with respect to the target
according to the tomographic image. FIG. 10 is a tomographic image
obtained by the OCT scanning probe in FIG. 9. Some amount of light
in the light beam passing through the light transmittable portion
110 of the tubular housing 10 is blocked by the auxiliary
localization component 40, such that a dark zone D (characteristic)
corresponding to the auxiliary localization component 40 is formed
in the tomographic image of FIG. 10. According to the regions
nearby the dark zone D in the tomographic image, it can be
determined that whether the OCT scanning probe 1a is inserted into
the target O; or, after the OCT scanning probe 1a is inserted into
the target O, it can be determined that the OCT scanning probe 1a
is currently at the central region of the target O or deviated from
the central region, and thus one (person or device) can judge if
the electrode should be re-implanted.
[0054] In some embodiments, since the OCT scanning probe for DBS is
buried deep in the brain, it may be difficult for one (for example,
a surgeon) to find the auxiliary localization component during DBS.
For the purpose of convenient operation, an indicating component 50
can be selectively disposed on the tubular housing 10, and the
indicating component 50 includes a mark 510 corresponding to the
auxiliary localization component 40. Therefore, an orientation of
the auxiliary localization component 40 can be determined by the
mark 510.
[0055] According to the present disclosure, the OCT scanning probe
includes an auxiliary localization component which overlaps a light
transmittable portion. A light beam emitted from an optical fiber
scanner is blocked or reflected by the auxiliary localization
component when passing through the light transmittable portion,
thereby causing a characteristic (dark zone or bright zone) in a
tomographic image. The location of the OCT scanning probe with
respect to a surgical target can be determined according to the
characteristic. Thus, the OCT scanning probe helps to position the
target or determine whether the electrode is at the central region
of the target, thereby improving the effects to physiology of brain
cells and neurotransmitters.
[0056] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure.
It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as
exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being
indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
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